Rotterdam holds celebration of those who served the country
For some, Veterans Day might just be a day off of work or school, but others take a moment from their life to pause, gather and remember those who’ve served their country.
Rotterdam held their 51st Annual Veterans Day Service outside of the Town Hall to honor veterans on Thursday, Nov. 11, which included a gathering of residents paying their respects. William Frank, director of Veterans Affairs of Schenectady County, gave a speech addressing the support veterans receive and sometimes lack.
That you are here today tells me that you are part of a minority of American citizens who love, support and appreciate our veterans enough to take a hard look at the often harsh relates we face, said Frank. `You understand that on Veterans Day we honor the men and women whom services and sacrifices have preserved the liberty we enjoy. You know this more than just a day off work a few days before Thanksgiving.`
Frank said all of the veteran organizations help build a culture to honor those who’ve served in all the wars, because support hasn’t always come easy for veterans.
`We have learned some very important lessons for how fickle support for veterans can be,` said Frank. `Our charge as we gather here today is to commit ourselves to making a brighter future for the men and women who have given so much to make our way of life possible.`
Mary Holton, president of the Ladies Auxiliary VFW Post 1895, said while the holiday is a time to show our support for veterans, it is also a time to remember those who gave their life for their country.
`Today is a day when we not only honor our military veterans, it is also a day when we remember and honor the hundreds of thousands of fallen heroes,` said Holton. `Let us now pay our respects to those persons of all wars who have made the supreme sacrifice for our country Let us not remember just for today, but let us remember for every day.`
As gatherers joined together to honor veterans, there are still soldiers fighting for our country and Josie Minard, commander of the DAVA Unit 88, said a prayer for those in the call of duty.
`As we go forth from this solemn service let us always keep in our minds and our hearts of the cost of freedom ` by the wounds of our comrades, POWs and MIAs and the supreme sacrifice of those who we honor here today,` said Minard. `God bless our service men and women that are in harms way.`
A three-volley salute was given by the VFW Post 1895 as rifles pointed to the sky and fired three times in unison to honor those who gave their life.
Master of Ceremonies Chuck Gerhard, commander of VFW Post 1895, wanted to recognize some people that might not have been mentioned during the ceremony. There were people that might not have fought directly in a war, he said, but still served their country in different ways.
`There are people who during the Vietnam War never went overseas,` said Gerhard. `There were staff members, there were enlisted and officers that stayed stateside. Some of them were cooks, some of them were chaplains, some of them were staff members and these people all served in their own way for the cause of our country.`
Gerhard said his father tried to enlist in WWII, but was originally denied because he had clubs foot, but near the end of the war when the government was `scraping at the bottom of the barrel` he was called in to be an Army air core operator since he wasn’t allowed to fight.
`We are grateful for all of our veterans, however they served, whatever their capacity. All gave some and some gave all,` said Gerhard.“
